Taichung: A man convicted of stabbing two passengers on the Taichung Metro, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in December last year, has received a reduced sentence of nine years and nine months after reaching a settlement with one of the two victims, according to a statement issued by the High Court's Taichung Branch on Wednesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the 20-year-old man surnamed Hung was initially sentenced for attempted murder and endangering public safety after the attacks on a Taichung Metro train last May. During the incident, he stabbed a 27-year-old man surnamed Hsu and a 17-year-old high school student surnamed Lu. Although Hung's initial sentence was 10 years, the court decided to reduce the sentence for attempted murder after Hung reached a settlement with Lu.

The court's decision took into account Hung's previous confession, the types and sharpness of the knives he used, and the severity of the injuries inflicted on the victims. The high court ruled that Hung did intend to kill, despite his denial of attempted murder being deemed not credible. Lu's father commented that his son chose to forgive Hung, offering him a second chance.

According to prosecutors, the attack occurred on May 21, when Hung used three knives to randomly assault passengers on a Taichung MRT train, injuring two people before being subdued by other passengers. During the investigation, Hung expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of Taiwan's society and indicated he wanted to make a statement by committing the attack. He orchestrated the assault on the 10th anniversary of a similar attack on the Taipei Metro, where a passenger named Cheng Chieh killed four people and injured 22 others in a stabbing spree on May 21, 2014.

Following the investigation, Hung was charged with attempted murder and public intimidation in June last year.